Maestro FAQ: Who We Are, What We Do, and Why We Care

At Maestro, our vision is to create a world where a culture of learning is the driving force behind every organization. Why? Because effective learning creates meaningful change. And meaningful change is what we’re all about.

For over 15 years, our team of experts has been helping organizations and their people evolve into better versions of themselves. How do we do it? We’re so glad you asked! Here are some of the most popular queries from our clients and our community.

Our capabilities

As a learning innovation company, we get to make incredible experiences that help organizations and their people grow.

What does Maestro do?

In short, we solve problems. We’re in the business of behavioral change, so every learning experience we create is thoroughly researched, piloted or tested, and custom-made to address each unique problem.

We take our work seriously, and we’re proud to say that we’re a trusted learning partner to many industry-leading brands and Fortune 500 companies, including Airbnb, BWH Hotels, Google, and Zimmer Biomet, to name a few. As a team of creative, strategic thinkers with years of experience in learning design, we approach each new challenge with curiosity, expertise, and genuine excitement.

What are Maestro’s capabilities?

Humble brag: the list is pretty long. Ultimately, all of Maestro’s capabilities consist of tailor-made solutions expertly sewn together with the threads of our four disciplines: strategy, design, engineering, and media, all in service of learning. Need a series of high-production training videos? We got you. Dreaming of your very own custom software? We’re your people. Wondering how to integrate VR into your learning experience? We can help with that.

We can do just about anything. What we can’t do is deliver a cookie-cutter solution for your unique situation. That’s just not us. We can’t help ourselves, we simply have to dig deep into the root cause of each problem so that we can custom-design the perfect solution to address it. It’s in our nature (and our values).

What teams does Maestro have?

Time and again, we’ve found that our team’s dedication to their disciplines—strategy, design, media, and engineering—means that we can solve all kinds of problems through learning. With our four core teams working together to blend thoughtful strategy and beautiful design with meaningful media and innovative technology, we bring our clients the best possible solutions every time. We do this by playing to each team’s strengths. 

Our Strategy team, made up of learning experts, is phenomenal at solving complex problems through a proven process of learner discovery, root cause analysis, and program design. Our Design team, a collaborative and seasoned group of truly colorful minds, knows how to communicate complicated ideas with clarity, creativity, and a bit of flair. Our Media team, with their captivating consumer-grade productions, elevates learning with visual storytelling and craft. And our Engineering team is comprised of a bunch of tech whizzes who can build pretty much anything you could ever want. No big deal.

Together, these four teams work hard to develop intentional, impactful experiences that actually resonate with learners. Together, what they make isn’t just well-engineered or expertly strategized, beautifully designed or carefully crafted. Together, they make something that creates lasting behavioral change.

Project timelines and budgets

Let’s explore how the magic happens.

What is Maestro’s process for a learning project?

What a great question. The answer: it depends on who we’re working with because everything we create is specifically made to meet the unique needs of our clients. We firmly believe that learning should meet people where they are (it’s our third Learning Principle). But we also believe that we, as your learning partner, should meet you where you are, which means our process will look a little different every time.

But you probably wanted a better answer than “it depends.” So, to give you an idea of what to expect when working with us, here’s one example of a learning project plan:

A great learning partner or learning L&D vendor will have a clear and strategic process for developing eLearning.

You’ll notice that before we get to work crafting a learning experience, we spend some time in the discovery phase, harkening back to our third Learning Principle, which is built on the idea that sufficient learner research is key for creating material that resonates. We’re determined to really understand learner needs before we start engineering solutions. Otherwise, what’s the point?

When we worked with Johnny’s Markets to solve the issue of high employee turnover, we spent a month in the learner discovery phase, uncovering all sorts of insights into how to craft the best experience for those specific learners. By witnessing firsthand how unpredictable and demanding their schedules were, we devised a clear, concise, and digestible learning program that covered one lesson per week and included application and reflection segments to maximize the material in a way that didn’t take up too much of their time.

How flexible is Maestro’s team with timelines?

We get it. Things come up, new deadlines appear, and the clock isn’t always in your favor. And while it’s not true that we’ve never turned down a project because of timeline concerns, we’re usually pretty flexible. This flexibility is a direct result of our deep understanding of critical milestones and our extensive experience with the process.

We’ve been in the game for over 15 years—we know our stuff. Plus, we have our core teams in-house! We don’t rely on third-party contractors, so we’re free to move quickly and set our own pace. For clients on a tight timeline, we may be able to offer a phased approach or iterative deliverables. What we can’t do is compromise the quality of the deliverables to fast-track the process. You’ll have to go somewhere else for that.

What does it cost?

We’re not going to break the bank, but we’re not your bargain option either. Our cost is fair and comparable to what you’d see elsewhere in the industry. But of course, the final budget will depend on the project. No matter what, you can count on us to create not just something of value for the present moment, but something that will have lasting benefits for years to come. Whether that’s consulting, training your team, or creating a top-tier learning experience, we’ll help you get the best bang for your buck.

When we worked with a client representing a large charter school system, we knew we needed to help them stretch their resources as far as possible—to do more with less. So, instead of blowing their entire budget on redesigning just a few of their courses for them, as they had requested, we spent that time training their Design team to do it themselves. And now, they have the skills to do it again and again, for present and future course-development needs.

Why Maestro?

There are plenty of learning companies to choose from, so what makes Maestro different? How can you know if we’re the right fit for you, your team, and your learning needs? It starts with our commitment to quality and our passion for the work—let’s dive deeper into the magic of Maestro.

Quality

Maestro = quality people + quality work. We only hire the best in the biz, true experts in their disciplines who have a love for learning and a passion for innovation. You know how most companies say their team “stays on top of the latest industry trends?” Well, our team actually does. We even put out a weekly newsletter on the latest learning insights and research. (It’s called Abstract and you should totally check it out.) Many of our clients have become avid Abstract fans and even discuss its content in their internal meetings to generate new ideas.

When you work with Maestro, you work with a true strategic partner, a team on a mission to help you succeed. This goes beyond keeping your project on time and on budget—which we do, of course. It also means that you can call our strategists whenever you’re facing a learning challenge and need a sounding board, something our existing clients do time and again.

We don’t just do quality work; we’re a quality team. Guided by our values and driven by our Learning Principles, we’re on a mission to create change through learning. And we won’t settle for anything less than our best.

Differentiation

What makes us different? Simple: it’s our people. At Maestro, we prioritize creative collaboration because we know that in order for our vision to manifest, we have to work together. And the fact that we have all four teams in-house helps immensely. While other learning vendors rely on third-party contractors who may not always be on the same page, our team is a cohesive collective with one common mission.

What’s it like to work with Maestro?

When you work with us, you’ll quickly discover that we’re not super buttoned up or overly corporate; we’re creative, passionate individuals who lead full lives. Our team is composed of athletes, authors, parents, artists, muralists, actors, faith leaders, and musicians. We have a zest for life which fuels our drive to create beauty and meaning. Our clients have often told us that meeting with Maestro is the most fun meeting of their week. And to them we say, “Ditto!”

What else have our clients said about us? Let’s hand the mic over to our wonderful partners for a few testimonials.

“The Maestro team quickly scaled up and learned our business to the point now where we consider them part of our ‘family.’ Unlike other vendors who maintain an ‘arms-length’ relationship with their clients, I actually want to talk to the Maestro team members and we believe the feeling is mutual!” —Dr. Mark Boccia, Global Director (CLO) Learning and Development, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.

“[Maestro] helped us understand exactly the kind of support we needed and the best way to deliver it. We are so grateful.” —Ray C., Director of Talent Development at ACIST

“An invaluable real-world resource! This team speaks clearly with a strong theoretical foundation but builds on that with real-world examples. Well done Maestro!” —Strategy Chats attendee

Let’s talk

Well, that’s us! What about you? What’s your favorite learning theory? What learning challenge are you struggling with right now? How can we help? If you’re interested, we’d love to talk, share some ideas, and maybe brainstorm potential strategic directions. No pressure, no sales pitch, we promise. We just want to help you grow.

Stay up to date on the latest learning trends, news, and insights.

Join the thousands of learning professionals who subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Abstract.

Get inspired!
The Latest
Projects
  • VetBloom A blockchain-based credentialing platform for veterinary specialties
  • ACIST Medical Systems Lifelike 3D product training to guide service techs on the job
  • Best Western Hotels & Resorts Helping transform brand culture with fresh, energizing ILT